Geo Politics

COLOMBO: The government of Sri Lanka declared on Sunday (Jun 26) that it was sending ministers to Russia and Qatar to look for low-cost oil, a day after declaring that the country had run out of petroleum. As a precautionary measure, the administration has prolonged the two-week shutdown of non-essential public institutions until further notice in order to conserve fuel. …

KYIV: The Ukrainian city of Kyiv was hit by Russian missiles on Sunday (Jun 26), which US President Joe Biden described as “barbarism” as international leaders convened in Europe to debate new measures against Moscow. It was the first time Kyiv had been shaken by an attack of this magnitude in weeks when up to four explosions rattled central Kyiv. …

SINGAPORE: Keppel Electric and Laos’ state-owned Electricite du Laos signed a two-year power purchase deal on Thursday (June 23) to begin importing renewable energy from Laos through Thailand and Malaysia (EDL). Renewable hydropower will be imported from Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore via existing interconnections in the Lao PDR–Thailand–Malaysia–Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS-PIP). More than 144,000 four-room HDB flats in …

KYIV: After Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday, Ukraine became a candidate to join the European Union, a daring geopolitical action praised as a “historic moment” by both Kiev and Brussels. As Russian incursions into two eastern Donbas cities near a “frightsome climax,” according to a Ukrainian government adviser, starting the lengthy road to EU membership will be a significant morale …

KYIV: Zelenskyy said Russia’s overwhelming air and artillery operations were intended at destroying the Donbas region, and called for Ukraine’s allies to expedite the arrival of heavy weaponry so that they could equal Russia in combat. A meeting of European leaders will be held in Brussels on Thursday (Jun 23) to officially begin the lengthy process of integrating Ukraine into …

NORTH KOREA: On Wednesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over the second day of the country’s key party conference on its military and defense programs, according to state media reports on Thursday, amid fears of an impending nuclear test. Kim emphasized the necessity of measures to boost frontline unit operational capabilities during their meeting, according to Korea Central …

ANKARA: Turkey stated during meetings in Brussels on Monday that talks between Turkey, Finland, and Sweden over the Nordic nations joining NATO will continue, and that the alliance summit in Madrid next week is not a deadline (Jun 20). In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO. However, Turkey has objected to the proposals, …

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz replied to criticism over his idea that floods may be used to promote “voluntourism,” or volunteer tourism, on Monday (June 20). Mr Nazri stated in an interview with Sinar Daily, Sinar Harian’s English portal, on Saturday that instead of wailing over the out-of-control flooding, Malaysia could look for chances by encouraging …

SWEDEN: After decades of neutrality, Sweden and Finland agreed to join NATO, the world’s most powerful military alliance, on May 18, citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a turning point. The Nordic countries’ bids appeared to be on track to receive the necessary unanimous backing from all 30 NATO members. Then they are thrown a problem: Turkish opposition. President Recep …

HONG KONG: On Sunday, China presented new senior officials in Hong Kong under incoming leader John Lee, who promised to push the global financial hub to new heights while dismissing worries about US sanctions against him. Finance Secretary Paul Chan, who is not subject to US sanctions, will keep his job in the Chinese-ruled region, providing comfort to the banking …